So I've about had it with my current studio. I could almost stand it if it weren't for two things... ok, a laundry list of things.

It's too small. About 10X12. It's only powered by an extension cord. All of the outlets are dead. There are spiders all over the place. There are holes in the walls so I'm afraid of exposing my expensive equipment to the elements. It has poor security, even though it is in an isolated place. Worst of all, my bandmate's obscene brother leaves used condoms all over the place. So I think it is time for a change.

But here's the thing. I have no idea what I will need. All I know is I will need an acoustically sound, larger, more secure building with good wiring. Basically what I'm asking here is this. What are some other features I would either want or need (isolation space, control room) and what would be a good minimum size. I don't plan on doing anything more than one or two man projects for awhile but I don't see the harm in going bigger for possibly bigger projects.

Also, I have a pretty good grasp on what I will need as far as recording equipment goes, but if there are any odds and ends that you feel strongly about feel free to post them.

What's your budget? You can EASILY get into the 6 figure range building a studio. Or you can buy some plywood and make a shack for under a grand.

I'd really recommend getting it acoustically treated and have an electrician wire it up with premium wiring and low noise stuff.

You'll want two rooms at least, a tracking room and a control room. The tracking room should be big enough for recording drums at least, and the control room should be big enough for your mixer, monitors, etc... as well as designed and treated to be as neutral as possible.

I'm well aware of how out of control the budget could get. I'm hoping to get by under or around 5,000 dollars, although I have no plans for doing anything soon. I have a few contacts and I'm no complete stranger to construction myself, but hiring someone to wire and someone to acoustically treat the place is going to be fairly costly I assume.

I would like to have enough room to keep my mics in place and not have to break anything down throughout a complete session.